Fish-Man Island's Shock and Delight!

At this moment, the banquet hall and its surroundings were already guarded at every point by large numbers of Neptune Army Fish-Man soldiers clad in armor, wielding steel tridents, and standing over two meters tall.

Especially along both sides of the red carpet leading straight into the hall, a Neptune Army soldier stood every three meters, eyes forward and chest held high.

The three members from the World Government entered the hall under the guidance of the Minister of the Right.

The Minister of the Right was a seahorse Fish-Man with orange-yellow skin. A Japanese sword hung at his left hip, while his right hand gripped a long-handled curved blade shaped like a crescent moon. His entire bearing radiated the aura of a soldier.

Soon, the four arrived at the center of the hall.

The Minister of the Right stopped and solemnly reported to King Neptune on the throne, "Your Majesty, I have brought the World Government officials."

At the same time, Queen Otohime, seated beside the throne, studied the three Black-Clad Men below the platform. A surge of anticipation rose in her heart.

"You have done well. Return to your post," King Neptune said with a nod.

Upon receiving the order, the Minister of the Right moved to the left side and stood facing the Minister of the Left on the right.

"Honorable King Neptune, I am Coulson, a Senior Director of the Administrative Department, a directly affiliated department of the World Government's State Council." The leading black-clad official introduced himself first.

His expression appeared quite gentle, and his tone was full of respect, which satisfied both the Minister of the Left and the Minister of the Right.

"Good. And these two?"

King Neptune looked toward the other two Black-Clad Men. One of them carried a black leather case, which had caught his attention.

Coulson smiled. "They are members of CP7, responsible for security."

"I see."

King Neptune understood. No longer paying attention to them, he said, "Then tell me your purpose in coming to Fish-Man Island this time. I am very curious."

"On behalf of the World Government, I have come to Fish-Man Island primarily for three matters. The first concerns the Reverie that will be held this June."

After saying that, Coulson turned around and accepted the black leather case handed over by a CP7 member. He then personally entered three eight-digit passwords and opened it.

He took out a white scroll bearing the World Government emblem, then handed it to the Minister of the Left beside him. "Please present this scroll to His Majesty for review."

The Minister of the Left first glanced at King Neptune. Seeing him nod in agreement, he accepted the somewhat weighty scroll with both hands and turned to walk up the steps.

"Your Majesty!"

"Good. You have done well."

King Neptune took the scroll in one hand. Under everyone's watchful eyes, he untied the golden ribbon and slowly unrolled it to read.

The process was somewhat lengthy. For a time, the hall was silent as the grave, and everyone waited quietly.

However, Queen Otohime noticed King Neptune's expression gradually becoming solemn. His eyes seemed to reveal disbelief and shock.

That made her even more curious about the scroll's contents.

In truth, there was not much written on it, but King Neptune read it back and forth three times, which made the process seem rather long.

He raised his head to look at Coulson standing below, opened his mouth, then found himself unsure how to speak.

Was he supposed to ask, "Are you fake? Fake officials? How could the World Government possibly become this... this good?"

"Your Majesty, may I have a look?"

At that moment, Queen Otohime asked softly. King Neptune hesitated before handing her the scroll anyway. "Take a look."

As Queen Otohime read the scroll, Coulson smiled and asked, "Your Majesty, on behalf of the World Government, I would like to ask for your opinion. Are you willing to support the agenda of this Reverie?"

"Mm, this is a good thing. No, it should be called a great thing. Of course I am willing to support it. After all, if this agenda truly passes and the World Government is genuinely willing to push it with all its strength, it will greatly benefit Fish-Man Island as well."

King Neptune answered Coulson cautiously.

"But the question is, are you truly willing to push it with all your strength? As I recall, laws prohibiting this were enacted long ago, yet by now they have essentially become meaningless."

"Honestly, simply passing the agenda without imposing strict enforcement would not mean much!"

On the other side, Queen Otohime, seated nearby, was already filled with shock and immense delight. Yet after hearing King Neptune's words, she found them very reasonable. Her beautiful eyes turned toward Coulson below the platform, sincerely hoping that his next answer would satisfy her.

"You wish to know just how sincere and determined the World Government is this time, correct?" Coulson asked with a smile.

"Exactly!"

King Neptune no longer concealed his feelings and looked at the other man with great solemnity.

"The important figures above have long made preparations for this. Please wait a moment."

Coulson looked confident and prepared. He turned once again toward the black leather case raised by the CP7 member and rapidly entered another complex password.

This scene left the Fish-Men and Merfolk in the hall speechless. In the end, the straightforward Minister of the Right could not help asking, "Why didn't you take it out together with the first one?"

Coulson opened the case and took out a second white scroll with a gold-threaded border. "Those are our department's rules," he replied. Then he still had the Minister of the Right help deliver it.

This time, however, he did not simply wait for King Neptune to finish reading. Instead, he began introducing it, because the World Government needed every Fish-Man to understand this matter.

"The scroll you are now reading is the Public Declaration on Establishing Equal and Friendly Relations Between Humans, the Merfolk, and the Fish-Man Race, personally written by the Five Elders!"

"What?!"

Queen Otohime, the Minister of the Left, the Minister of the Right, and all the Neptune Army soldiers present were stunned.

Coulson merely smiled slightly at their reactions and continued explaining its general contents.

"It mainly includes the following points."

"First, from the day both parties sign this declaration, the buying, selling, and enslavement of Merfolk and the Fish-Man Race will be severely punished. All Merfolk and Fish-Men within the territory of the World Nobles and every affiliated nation will be returned unconditionally, and a certain amount of compensation will be paid. However, this does not include Merfolk and Fish-Men imprisoned for crimes."

"Second, the Sabaody Archipelago will be designated a safe zone. Merfolk and Fish-Men may freely live and travel on the islands, enjoying the same treatment as humans. At the same time, Fish-Man Island will permit humans to freely enter, reside, and travel there."

"Third, Fish-Man Island will be permitted to station troops at the Sabaody Archipelago to handle matters related to Merfolk and Fish-Men. At the same time, Fish-Man Island will permit the World Government to establish a Marine branch within its territory to handle matters related to humans, pirates, and so on."

"Fourth, Merfolk and Fish-Men will be permitted to serve normally in the World Government, the Marines, and all other departments, working together toward a friendly future for humans, the Fish-Man Race, and the Merfolk."

After he finished that long speech, King Neptune had also finished reading the scroll. Its contents were broadly the same, and he had indeed seen the five signed names below, each bearing the surname of a World Noble.

To be honest, the king was beginning to suspect that he was living in a dream. Queen Otohime beside him was so overwhelmed that tears welled in her eyes.

"Next is the third matter."

Senior Director Coulson looked at Queen Otohime, who had long since risen to her feet, trembling all over with reddened eyes, and smiled gently.

"The World Government hopes to invite Queen Otohime to attend this year's Reverie and deliver an important speech supporting this agenda. Would you be willing?"

Queen Otohime was nearly fainting from happiness. She first exchanged a glance with King Neptune, and after receiving his supportive and encouraging look, she gazed at Coulson with utmost seriousness and answered,

"Of course. This will be the most glorious moment of my life. Thank you very much, World Government!"